Waiting
by Maisy13
Summary: Post living Doll, pre Dead Doll fic. Complete
1. Part 1

**Disclaimer:** CSI belongs to CBS, Anthony Zuiker, and many other people. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them.

**A/n:** So, here it is. My post finale fic. I know it 's later than others, but I wanted to finish Knick Knacks first. Which I've done. :P Anyway, this was going to be a oneshot, but I've found there's too much for that, so I've devided it into parts. Please enjoy.

* * *

**Part 1**

As Grissom sat there watching the woman whose hands Sara's life lay in withdraw from reality, his mind riveted on one question. Not why did this woman do this? Not why couldn't we catch her before it came to this? But why didn't he have some feeling that this might happen? That his… his Sara was in danger. Why hadn't he had some niggling at the back of his mind telling him that something was wrong? He'd known that it had gotten personal. When the Miniature Serial Killer had had a miniature delivered right into his office he'd known that he'd become a focus. That the killer was responding to him, yet he hadn't altered his life. He hadn't studied every new person he'd come in contact with. He'd even talked to the killer. Why hadn't he felt he was being watched? He'd stubbornly gone about his life as normal, oblivious to the idea that it could harm him personally.

He'd heard stories of people who, on being about to board an airplane were struck by a feeling of foreboding, and decided to take another flight, or not to fly at all, only to hear later that their original flight had crashed. Why hadn't he had such a feeling? Sensed something was about to happen to the one person in his life he'd give his own life for. If only he'd had a niggling feeling, he'd have kept her with him, out of harms way. And now, now she was out there, somewhere, stuck, and he; he was helpless to help her.

He felt a presence at his side and looked up to find Jim standing there. He face was stoic as usual, but his eyes were filled with emotion. Guilt that he hadn't caught the killer sooner. Sorrow at seeing his friend in pain. They both turned to look at Natalie, who was staring vacantly at the floor, softly singing that damn song. They'd get nothing further from her now. "What are we going to do Jim? How are we going to find her?" He asked, his voice catching.

"Same way we always do, follow the evidence." He put his hand on his friends shoulder. "There's a trail, and we'll find it."

* * *

Catherine, Warrick, Nick and Greg sat around the table in the breakroom. They'd wanted to be in the interview room but Grissom had told them that he wanted to do the questioning alone and they didn't feel they could question him. Brass was watching though and would certainly come get them when they found out something. 

They'd been sitting there silently, each lost in their own thoughts when Greg suddenly cleared his throat and asked. "So, what do you guys think Grissom meant earlier?"

The other three stared at him mutely. When no one came forward with an answer, Greg elaborated. "When Grissom said he loved Sara. That is what he said isn't it?"

Catherine shook her head. "I don't know if he knew WHAT he was saying."

Nick spoke up. "Naw, naw, come on now. He definitely said love. And it didn't sound like friendship love."

"How long do you think he's loved her?" Greg leaned forward. "I mean did he know before… before this? Before she'd been kidnapped.

Warrick cleared his throat. "Whatever he meant, I don't think it's any of our business, and it certainly shouldn't be our focus." He looked to Catherine for agreement.

She sat silent for a moment, several thoughts crossing her mind. Finally she agreed. "Yes, we have more important things to do."

Nick stood up, pushing his chair back with a crash. "I just can't stand this waiting!"

All eyes turned to him. He began to pace. Suddenly he stilled. "Is this what it was like with me?"

Silently they looked at each other. He'd never broached this subject with them before.

Greg cleared his throat. "It, um, it's very similar. Of course with you we had some kind of information. Some lead, and we knew you were alive. Now, well we don't know anything."

They all sat silent once more. Warrick laid his head on his arms on the table. He couldn't believe this had happened to Sara. Just yesterday they had been laughing together over some joke that Greg had told. When she'd first come to work in Las Vegas he's felt resentful. A major part of that had been rooted in the immense guilt he'd felt over what had happened to Holly, and the irritation he felt that someone outside of their circle would be investigating him, but a deep well of respect had grown from those early days. They'd grown closer not only professionally, but personally. She was like a sister to him. She was the one he'd talked to about his problems with Tina. The steady head he could always rely on. It killed him thinking she might be gone.

Nick paced around the room. This waiting was torture. He remembered vividly how it had felt being buried alive, but now realized that he'd had it easy. His friends and colleagues had had to wait like this. Knowing he was buried alive, but not knowing where he was. He'd give anything just to know that Sara was alive, even if she was buried somewhere. A sudden flash of her smile popped into his head. She was one of his best friends. He didn't know what he would do if he never saw that teasing smile again. He looked up, and his eyes caught on her coffee mug sitting on the counter, ready for the next time she needed a caffeine fix. He sniffed, refusing to cry, refusing to believe she'd never use that mug again.

Catherine rested her head on her palm. What could she do? For the first time ever she didn't know what to do. When Eddy had died, she'd been devastated, but she'd had the case to work on, and Lindsey to keep her busy. She was lost. She may have just lost a dear friend, but she feared another friend had lost something more. She wanted to be there for him, but wasn't sure if he'd let her. Grissom was such a private man. She couldn't help but wonder how long he'd had these feelings for Sara. She remembered how he'd introduced her that first time. 'A friend, someone I trust.' Then that case a few years ago, the nurse that'd been killed in her bathroom, the woman who'd had such a resemblance to Sara. Grissom had taken that case far more personally than he normally would have. And Sara. She'd always been close to Grissom. Closer than the rest of the team. Did she know of these feelings that Grissom had for her? Were they reciprocated? She felt like she'd had her head buried in the sand these last few years. She wanted to tell Sara how much she'd come to mean to her. She looked at her hand resting on the table. She needed something to do.

Greg tapped his fingers on the table, his knee bouncing so much that the table shook. His mind so full of thoughts that he could barely separate them. If Sara were gone… he didn't know what he would do. No, it didn't bear thinking about. Not Sara. His best friend. The one he could tell anything to, and she wouldn't judge. The one who always remembered his birthday. Hell, she always remembered everyone's birthdays. She always laughed at his jokes, even the bad ones. She's got to be alive. Sara is a fighter. She wouldn't let some crazy girl get the best of her. She was great at talking her way out of trouble. People listened to her. She…She had to be alive.

They all looked up when the door opened, and Brass walked in. "She's alive." He said as he walked into the room. He held up a hand to silence their volley of questions. "That's all we know. She, the girl, Natalie, she's not going to be answering any more questions right now. Grissom was, he was brilliant with her. Had her believing that he was flattered by her attention. That he admired her work, but once she'd admitted that Sara was alive, well, Gil couldn't hide the hope. She, she just shut down, singing that damn doll song over and over."

Catherine spoke up. "Where is he?"

"He- he um- he needed a little time alone. He said he'd be here in a few minutes to start assessing where to start." He looked up as a loud boom of thunder echoed over head. "I just hope he hurries."

* * *

Grissom sat down at his desk and took a deep breath. He reached over and picked up a picture sitting in front of him. It was a picture of the Heliconius Sara butterfly. He flipped it over and removed the backing. Underneath the butterfly picture, was a picture of his Sara. She was standing on a peer in San Francisco. She had been watching two children running around playing, and he'd taken the picture of her as she laughed, her face in profile. "I'm going to find you Sara. Just believe that. I'm going to find you." 

**TBC...**


	2. Part 2

**Disclaimer:** CSI is owned by CBS, Anthony Zuiker, and a lot of other people. Sadly I'm not included on that list.

**A/n:** So, I've taken my cue from the awesome/scary promos we've been getting, though I have filled in the blanks on my own. I don't know if this is the way it happend, but it's my take on it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first part of this story.

* * *

**Several hours earlier….**

Sara sighed as she exited the elevator heading for her car. They were finally getting somewhere with the Miniature Killer, and she was looking forward to going home and taking a nice hot soothing bath. Taking her keys out she pushed the alarm button, and heard it disengage. She went to the trunk to stow her kit. As CSI's they'd all learned that as they could be called in on a big scene at anytime, it was best to keep your kit stocked and ready at all times. She reached up to close the trunk when she heard someone say her name. Looking around she recognized the girl from the janitorial crew. Sara smiled and turned to her. "Hey, Natalie right? Can I help you with something?"

Natalie smiled and walked over to her. "Yes. My-my car won't start, and I-I was hoping you could try it while I looked under the hood."

Sara smiled. "Sure, I know all about cars. Maybe I can help you figure out what's wrong." She headed over to the car Natalie had indicated.

Natalie followed her over to the car. "If you could just pull the hood release, that would be good."

"Sure." Sara leaned down to find the pulley that would pop the hood open. She paused when she smelled something odd, kinda sweet. It seemed familiar. She felt that Natalie had come up to stand behind her, and figured it must be her perfume. "You know, I'm glad…" She was cut off when a cloth was pressed over her face. She jerked back, trying to get away from it, but someone was pushing her down. She tried one last time to break free, but hit her head on the edge of the car roof, and between that, and the suffocating cloth, soon passed out.

Natalie calmly removed the cloth, removed Sara's cell phone from its clip, and laid it beside her kit in her trunk. She pushed Sara over to the passenger seat, climbed in and started the car, giving a little giggle at how easy it had been.

Sara opened her eyes, blinking several times. Moving her head, she felt bits of rock and sand bite into her cheek. Lifting her head up, she winced at the ache in her head, and the dryness in her mouth. Squinting, she looked up. She saw she was lying under what looked like the top a car. Muzzily, she tried to figure out why she was under a car. The last thing she remembered was that she was she had been going to help Natalie with her car. Had she crawled under it to see if she could see what was wrong? No, that couldn't be it. She was laying on sand and rocks, not the concrete floor of the garage. And she was definitely under the top of the car, not the undercarriage. Moving her head a little, she looked out from under the car. Natalie was kneeling beside it. "Natalie? What's going on? Where am I?"

Natalie smiled and reached over and twisted the handle of a hydraulic jack. The car started to lower. Before she'd had time to process what was happening, the edge of the car began settling on her arm, which she'd only just now realized was poking out from under the car. The pressure turned to pain. "What are you doing? Arrggghh!! Don't do this! Ahhhhh!" She heard bones crack and felt faint with the pain. She looked up and dimly saw Natalie peering at her from beside the car. "Why-why are you doing this?" She panted.

Natalie watched her, silently. She watched as Sara panted, watched as tears slipped down her cheeks, but through the pain, she saw defiance shining through. "Why am I doing this?" She asked calmly.

Sara could only gasp, as pain shot up her arm, through her shoulder.

"I'm doing this to save you. To save you the pain of losing the one you love. Because you know, it never lasts. Love. Someone can say they love you so much, but in the end, we always disappoint them." She blinked and stared into the distance. "And now he'll see. He'll see that I'm the good one. The smart one. The BETTER one." She stood up and started backing away. "Look at it as a test. If he loves you, he'll find you." Smiling with the wind from the approaching storm blowing her hair, she turned to go.

Sara moaned as she watched her start to walk away. "Natalie?! NATALIE!!!! Don't do this!!!" She yelled, panicking. But Natalie kept walking, got into her car, and drove away.

* * *

**Present**

Taking a deep breath, Grissom stood and made his way down the hall to the breakroom. He put his hand on the door, and hesitated. His fingers contracted on the handle, and he closed his eyes. Exhaling sharply, he pulled the door open. All eyes turned to him. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Nick, Warrick, I want you on Natalie's apartment. There's gotta be some kind of clue there. Turn it upside down. Catherine, take Sara's car. Maybe she was able to leave some kind of message before Natalie took her. Greg, Natalie had to have gotten Sara out of here somehow. Contact the DMV; she has got to have a car. If not, than someone helped her, and by God we'll find them." He turned to go.

Catherine jumped up. "Gil! What are you going to do?" She looked at him, concerned.

He gestured vaguely towards the outside, where the storm raged. "We know that she's… that she's under a car, and that car is pinning her down. The desert is full of flash flood areas. Places where it can be dry as a bone one minute, and a rushing rapid with just a couple of hours of rain. I'm going to do some tests to see how much time she would have if… if that were the case." He opened the door, and said without looking back. "I don't have to tell you that this is the only case tonight. It's time sensitive, and we… we need to work as fast as possible." He left.

Nick and Warrick silently exited as well, heading for the car. Their normal bickering about who would drive absent as Nick silently handed the keys to Warrick, knowing that he was the quickest, if not the safest, driver.

Greg stood and nodded to Catherine and Brass, then left.

Catherine looked towards Brass. He gave her a small, encouraging smile. "Let's go get her Catherine." She nodded, and followed him out of the room.

Nick and Warrick donned their gloves and opened the door to Natalie's apartment. Looking around, they took the place in. Straight ahead was a hall lined with display cases holding those bisque dolls Grissom had told them about. They walked forward, they're footsteps muffled by the carpet runner. As they reached the end, they stared in amazement. Pictures of Sara were plastered on the wall. In a lot of them she was with Grissom. Nick looked to Warrick. "Looks like she knows."

**TBC…**


	3. Part 3

**Disclaimer: **CSI is the property of CBS, Anthony Zuiker, and many other people.

**A/n:** Once again, parts are taken from the promos, but I've put my take on it.

**Thanks to:** _dyneemo, inlovewithgsr, RenLissa, UnspokenLoves, Amanda Hawthorne, SoS5-16, Emma-face, Print Dust, Chirachi, boneswhisper, and lovinGSR_ **For reviewing. **

* * *

**Part 3**

Warrick cleared his throat, glancing around. "So, we start at the… the work station, and work our way out." He walked over to the desk, and picked up one of the papers laying there. It was a detailed sketch of the miniature that had been delivered to the lab. Nick joined him, reaching over to pick up another drawing, this one a sketch of Sara. Shaking his head, he put the paper down and took out his camera. Taking a long look around, he sighed and looked at Warrick, his eyes glistening. Warrick sniffed, fighting his own emotions. "We'll find her man. Let's just do our job."

* * *

Grissom stared out the window, watching the rain hit the glass, listening to the occasional rumblings of thunder. Sighing, he turned to look at the miniature sitting on the table. If the land around the car was to scale, and he had every reason to believe that it was, then the car seemed to be positioned at the center of a depression in the surrounding desert. If the rain caused a flash flood, the car could be completely surrounded by water with hours. Picking up a beaker of water, he poured it slowly, starting from the front of the vehicle. He couldn't be sure of which direction the car was facing, the miniature didn't come with a compass, but he hoped to determine which directionality would be best for survival. His hand shook a little as he continued to pour. In the back of his mind he knew that if it took too long for them to find her, it wouldn't matter from which direction the water came. In all likelihood, the car would be completely submerged in a matter of hours, and the rain had been falling for a little over an hour. He looked up as lightening flashed, and a loud clap of thunder rent the sky, and he prayed.

* * *

**Two hours earlier**

Sara blinked, trying to clear the dust from her eyes. She worked her left arm out from under her torso, where it had been trapped. She inched it forward, trying to get into a better position. The pain in her other arm had subsided, but her worry hadn't. She knew that if she didn't relieve the pressure soon, the loss of blood flow to her hand would cause major problems. Her head was pounding, and she knew she was becoming more and more dehydrated. But that was the least of her problems. She could hear thunder in the distance, and she knew that the rain would come, and she'd have all the water she would need, but that also presented her with another problem. She didn't know exactly what kind of area she was lying in, but the land directly in front of her seemed to be elevated, and if that were true of the surrounding area, she could be in deep water, literally. She smiled a little at the pun. "That's good Sara; keep your wits about you. Keep your mind active." Grunting, she pulled herself up as far as she could. The effort exhausted her. She thought, _'I'll just rest for a minute.' _She closed her eyes, and when she opened them she knew she'd been out for a few minutes. The wind had picked up, and she knew that the storm was nearer. The fingers of her right hand were numb, and she knew that the time was coming near that she'd have to figure out how to relieve the pressure. She was just contemplating how long it would take her to use her other hand to dig around the broken arm, when she heard a noise. Her head jerked up. Something was moving around a few feet from where she lay. She could hear the light steps of an animal. He was making a sniffing noise. She watched warily, as it came closer. Suddenly it emitted a feral growl, and ducked its head, and she found herself staring into the eyes of a coyote. It lowered it's head, sniffing her exposed fingers. Sara closed her eyes, and hid her face in the crook of her left arm, and for the first time in years, she prayed.

* * *

**Present**

Catherine made her way across the garage, heading for Sara's car. She looked out upon the city, and watched as the sky started to lighten. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and in the manner of many storms in this desert town, would soon be gone as quickly as it had come. Reaching Sara's car, she sat her kit down. She pulled on a pair of gloves, and looked down into the trunk of Sara's car. It had been left open, and a patrolman stood guard a few feet away. She looked at the ground and saw how the wind had whipped the rain in, making the oil spots slick, and washing away potential evidence. She glanced up at the surveillance cameras, and made a mental note to check them out, but didn't have much hope for them. Unlike most missing persons cases she'd worked, they already knew the who, and the why. They just needed to find Sara, and she wasn't sure that the tapes would help in that. She took out her flashlight, and scrutinized the trunk. Nothing. The only things there were Sara's phone, and her kit. Catherine turned letting the light wash over the vacant expanse of cement. A few feet away the light caught on something that looked darker than the surrounding cement. She walked over and knelt down. Clumps of some sort of soil were scattered around, the larger bits laying about where the four tires of a car would rest. Lucky for her, the rain hadn't quite reached this spot. She went back to her kit to retrieve her camera and collection cups. If the video confirmed that this was where Natalie had parked, maybe they could use the dirt samples to narrow their search radius. Catherine closed her eyes for a second. _'Hold on Sara, we're trying. Just hold on.'_ She opened her eyes, and got back to work.

* * *

Nick opened the door to the bedroom and stepped in. He and Warrick had decided that things would go faster if they split up. He walked in and looked around. It was shabby, but clean. The bed was neatly made, and covered with stuffed animals. There was an oval swivel mirror standing by the windows. The rain had finally stopped, and the weak sun was glinting off the windows which were covered in condensation. Outside the air was warming up quickly, and the air in the apartment was going full blast, causing the frosty windows. On the bedside table was a picture of Ernie Dell, and a book on model making. Nick walked over and looked into the mirror. In the mirror he saw the opposite wall. He slowly turned and took a closer look. Sketches of all the other miniatures and pictures of each of the victims were framed, and hanging neatly. It hit Nick once again that Sara was still in the clutches of a madwoman, if not literally, then figuratively. A red hot wave of anger washed over him, and without thinking he violently swept the stuffed animals from the bed, a horse sob escaping him. Exhaling, he sat down on the bed and rested his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees. He looked up and saw his reflection in the mirror. Sniffing he said. "We'll find you Sara. We'll find you."

* * *

**TBC**


	4. Part 4

**Disclaimer:** CSI is the property of CBS, Anthony Zuiker, and many other people.

**A/n: **Just so you know, I'm spoiler free, and have only seen the promos. So, unless you're uber sensitive about spoilers, you're fine in reading this. I took my cues from the promos, but took it in my own direction. (I wrote the part about the coyote before I saw the promo, so I left it in, though it is similar to what actually happens in the sneek peek.)

**Thanks to:** _dyneemo, inlovewithgsr, RenLissa, UnspokenLoves, Amanda Hawthorne, SoS5-16, Emma-face, Print Dust, Chirachi, boneswhisper, inlovewithgsr, Haldir's Heart And Soul, and lovinGSR_** For reviewing.**

* * *

**Part 4**

Grissom's eyes felt gritty as he opened them to the watery sunlight coming though the window. For a split second he didn't know why he was sleeping on the couch in his office, but then his eyes landed on the miniature on his desk, and it all came back to him. He jumped up and winced. He sat back down and massaged his temples. What a time for a migraine to hit. Knowing he had no other choice, he slowly got up and went to his desk. He opened the middle drawer and withdrew a prescription bottle. He wouldn't normally take heavy meds while on duty, but this was a special circumstance. He needed his wits about him, and that wasn't going to happen with his head pounding like it was. He washed down the pills with a bottle of water, then glanced at his watch. Eight twenty. He'd slept scarcely thirty minutes. Still, thirty minutes was more than enough for Sara to lose her life. He looked up eagerly as Catherine walked in. Her mouth was in a tight line as she shook her head. His shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry Gil. I went over that garage with a fine tooth comb and all I found were some soil samples. Hodges has them, and he said he'd get the results to us as soon as they came in, but I'm not sure how much good they're going to do." She walked over to the couch and slowly sat down.

Grissom's ears had perked up at the mention of the soil samples. "Catherine, you need to think positive. Those samples could be the break we need!" Energized, he hurried over to the miniature. "If Natalie was as meticulous as I think she was, then she may have used the same soil in the miniature. I'll get a sample to Hodges for comparison." He scraped some of the soil from the miniature into a bindle and hurried off to trace.

Catherine watched as he went, her mouth curved in a sad smile. A yawn overtook her and she closed her eyes. She'd rest for five minutes, then get up and go see what Archie had found.

* * *

**A few hours earlier**

Sara cringed as the coyote sniffed at her hand, and whispered. "Please go away, please go away, please go away." She tried to think of what she could do to make the coyote go away, but just then a clap of thunder sounded, and a flash of lighting sizzled through the sky. The coyote jumped and whimpered, turning it ran for cover. Sara breathed a sigh of relief. A brisk wind had begun to blow now, and it whipped under the car, bringing with it the first drops of rain. Her relief was short lived however as it began to pound the ground. She now knew from the way the water was running past her in rivulets that she was laying in the bottom of a dry riverbed. She laid her head down and waited, her eyes growing heavy. _'It wouldn't hurt to rest for just… just a minute.' _

_

* * *

_**Present **

"Hey Nick! Come here!" Warrick's excited shout rang throughout the small apartment. Nick appeared in the doorway before the last syllable had died out. He found Warrick standing at the work station. He turned around with a paper in his hand. "You said you didn't want to leave without finding something, well how's this for something?"

* * *

Grissom spread the map out on the layout table. Warrick, Nick, and Greg were lined up next to him, with Brass, Sofia, Ecklie, and just about every other member of the Las Vegas crime lab crowded into the small room. All except Hodges that is, who was still working on the soil sample. "This map was found at the suspect's apartment. It doesn't pinpoint a precise location, but there are several possible places highlighted. We're going to divide up into groups of three, covering these spots. I want at least two helicopters in the air, and one of us in each of them. Catherine, Brass, and I will cover this area." He pointed to a place on the map. Nick, Warrick and Sofia will take this area." He outlined each search area on new maps, keeping the original unsullied. Once everyone had their assignments he called for their attention. "Remember, we're looking for a red mustang. Pay special attention to dry riverbeds, she's most likely in one of those. Everyone get a good look at the miniature; make sure you can recognize the landscape." Stopping, he took a deep breath. Looking around, he sighed. "Let's… let's just find her."

* * *

**A few hours earlier**

Sara held her head up for as long as she could, drinking in the available air. She could only lever herself up for a few seconds at a time though, and then she'd have to lower herself back under the water. Her body was trembling from the exertion, and her lungs burned from holding her breath for long minutes. She told herself to pretend she was at the lake, playing hide and seek with Grissom, and all she had to do was hold her breath for a little while longer, and he'd be there, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her above the water. He'd kiss her, give her that irresistible grin, kiss her softly on her lips, whisper "You're it" and sink soundlessly under the water. She opened her eyes, afraid of slipping so far into the fantasy that she'd forget where she was and breathe in a lungful of water. Gathering her strength she pulled herself up to inhale another precious breath of air. It calmed her to think of it as a mundane task. A routine she had to deal with until she would be back, safe and warm in Grissom's arms. Because she knew he'd find her. She just had to hold on, and follow the routine.

**TBC...**


	5. Part 5

**Disclaimer:** CSI is the property of CBS, Anthony Zuiker, and many other people.

**A/n: **So, this is the next to the last chapter. I'm moving this weekend and will put the last part up next week sometime. :)

**Thanks to: **_dyneemo, inlovewithgsr, RenLissa, UnspokenLoves, Amanda Hawthorne, SoS5-16, Emma-face, Print Dust, Chirachi, boneswhisper, inlovewithgsr, Haldir's Heart And Soul, and lovinGSR_

* * *

**Part 5**

Nick stood on the seat, his upper torso poking out of the sunroof of the car Warrick was driving. Using a pair of binoculars, he scanned the dessert. So far all he'd seen was dry brush, and tumbleweeds. He sighed, took off his hat, and wiped the sweat from his brow. They'd been searching the desert for hours, and hadn't seen any sign of Sara. No overturned cars had been spotted, and the sun was now riding high in the sky. He felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down to find Sofia looking up from the passenger seat.

"You ready for a break?" She asked, concerned at the amount Nick was sweating.

"Just give me a few more minutes." He said and looked back up before Sofia could see the fatigue in his eyes.

Warrick sighed from the driver's seat, and glanced at Sofia. "He'll be okay. We just don't want to chance missing something that might lead us to her."

Sofia nodded. "I understand, she's my friend too, but it'll do us no good if he passes out from dehydration.

Warrick nodded, and turned back to scan the desert through the windscreen. He understood Nick's need to keep working. Sara was like a sister to them and she was out there somewhere, counting on them.

* * *

**A couple of hours earlier**

Sara inhaled deeply and tried inching her body closer to the edge of the car. Her strength was waning, and she was exhausted. Luckily the water had gone down, but the car had settled more firmly around her due to the mud, and her space had become very limited. She was able to see a bit of the sky, and at least the car kept the searing sun off of her, but the heat was still rising, and she worried about dehydration. She tried to keep her mind active by going over the cases she had open. She wiggled around and tried to find a comfortable position. She hated the feeling of the car pressing down on her, and hoped she didn't come out of this experience with claustrophobia. She'd never been afraid of anything, and didn't like the thought that this ordeal would trigger something. She kept reminding herself that Nick went through much worse two years ago and he'd come out of it just fine. Never once did the thought cross her mind that she wouldn't be rescued. She worked with some of the most talented crimescene investigators in the country, and she had no doubt that they'd find her. She just had to be patient. To pass the time, she started singing, changing up an old favorite to make it more enjoyable. "One thousand naked Grissoms on the bed, one thousand naked Grissoms… Take one down; roll him around, nine hundred and ninety nine naked Grissoms on the bed." She smiled at the thought of him. When she got out of this, he'd better giver her one hell of a night out. With his image in her head, she settled down, got as comfortable as possible, and continued to sing her song.

* * *

**Present**

Grissom picked up the mic for the CB radio and called Greg who was circling the desert in one of the helicopters. "Greg, do you see anything?"

A second later Greg's voice came back on the line. "Nothing yet." Greg used one hand to hold the CB mic, and the other to press the binoculars to his eyes, scanning the desert landscape. His heart was beating wildly. He felt as if Grissom was counting on him to find Sara, and apart from his own need to find his friend, he didn't want to disappoint Grissom. He'd seen the exhaustion in his eyes and knew that he was running on fumes. If he'd had doubts before of Grissom's feelings for Sara, they were no more. He felt quite chagrined that he hadn't noticed something was up before. Some crack investigator he was, he couldn't even see when his boss and best friend were doing the nasty. Greg grimaced at the picture that thought brought to mind. He didn't need to have an image of a naked Grissom in his head. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the ground, and caught a glint of something. Pulling the binoculars away from his eyes, he stared at where he's seen the flash of light. He was afraid his eyes were playing tricks on him, or what he saw was only a puddle of water that the sun's ray's had hit. Bringing the binoculars back to his eyes, he stared. No, it was definitely something. Grabbing up the mic, he yelled into it. "Grissom! Grissom! I've found something!" Heart pounding, he read out the coordinates.

Grissom swallowed and looked at Catherine in the driver's seat. She smiled at the hope and love in his eyes. Nodding she turned in the right direction, and sped up, tearing across the desert.

* * *

Sara lifted her head and listened. She heard a low buzzing sound. She thought she might be imaging things. She was on her third round of the naked Grissom song and to be honest, it was losing a little of its luster. Her mind kept slipping off into moments she'd shared with Grissom. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, and her body ached in a million places. The noise got nearer, and she could make out some kind of whirring. To her hopeful hears it sounded like a helicopter, but she was trying hard not to get her hopes up.

* * *

Grissom and Catherine caught sight of the helicopter ahead and saw that it was circling a piece of desert. Catherine floored the Denali and headed for that spot. She brought the car to a stop just over a sand dune, sand spraying everywhere from the force of the stop. They jumped out of the car and ran. There was a car overturned up ahead, but Grissom knew right away that Sara wasn't there. The car was amongst some large rocks, and those were not present on the miniature. It also looked a lot older than the mustang Sara would be under. He skidded to a stop and looked up at the helicopter shaking his head. In his seat, Greg's face fell. He had so hoped this was it. Hoped that it just looked different from the air. 

Grissom knelt down and wiped his hand over his face, his eyes suddenly wailing up with tears. Catherine kneeled beside him, her mind racing. How many of these cars were out here? Was this just a coincidence, or had Natalie dotted the desert with over turned cars. She looked over at Grissom who was now staring off into the distance.

He looked at her, his eyes weary. "Where is she Catherine?"

She swallowed. "We'll find her. She's a survivor." He nodded and they gazed out at the desert together.

**TBC…**


	6. Part 6

**Disclaimer:** CSI is the property of CBS, Anthony Zuiker, and many other people.

A/n: This is the last chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed this story. We only have 4 more days to wait, and I'm positive Sara will live. This got a little fluffy in the end, but hey, it's my story and it'll be fluffy if I want it to be. :P:P

**Thanks to: **_dyneemo, inlovewithgsr, RenLissa, UnspokenLoves, Amanda Hawthorne, SoS5-16, Emma-face, Print Dust, Chirachi, boneswhisper, inlovewithgsr, Haldir's Heart And Soul, and lovinGSR,_ **For reviewing.**

_Also thanks to **Aussieforgood** for being such a wonderful friend, though she doesn't review, she always tells me what she thinks, and it's greatly appreciated. _

* * *

**Part 6**

Sara listened intently as the sound of the rotary blades came nearer. The two word phrase, _I'm here_, kept repeating in her mind. She knew that yelling would do no good. She tried to pull herself closer to the edge of the car, but her waning strength and the sucking mud were against her. The sound of the blades began to grow fainter. It was heading away from her. Sara felt a tide of despair rise in her. Doubts edged their way into her mind. No one was looking for her. No one knew she'd been taken. Grissom was working blissfully in his office, and didn't know that she was in danger. The helicopter hadn't been looking for her. The pilot would think nothing of an over turned car in the middle of the desert. Closing her eyes, she sniffed. She felt totally helpless. She couldn't stop the tears from slipping under her lashes. Gasping, she opened her eyes and shook her head. She wouldn't cry. Natalie would have delivered a miniature just like in the other cases, and the whole crew would be searching by now. Maybe that chopper hadn't been looking for her, but someone would come. Grissom would come. She just had to hold on.

* * *

The two cadets in the chopper continued the argument they'd been having all day about whose baseball team was the best, and the pilot's eyes stayed on the horizon. None of them noticed the overturned red car surrounded by brush. For years to come the cadets would maintain that they'd never lifted their eyes from the ground, and anytime they made this assertion, they'd be met with cold stares. Especially by those in the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

* * *

Grissom stared down at the map on the table. They'd set up a mobile command post in the center of the search locations, and if anyone found anything, this would be the first place they'd radio. The map was spread out on the table. The areas they'd already searched were highlighted in purple. He'd chosen that color because it was Sara's favorite. He didn't know why it mattered. She'd probably never see it, and even if she did, he doubted she'd care much what color they'd used to highlight the places they hadn't found her, but seeing those blocks of purple reminded him of her. Kept him grounded in the world where Sara was alive and well. His mind wondered back to the first time he'd seen the walls at her old apartment. He'd come to find out why she'd lashed out at Catherine, and found out so much more. He'd thought at the time that the color was an odd choice. Dark purple should have made the small room seem even smaller, but the way she had accented it with curtains of gold and gossamer white, and used small framed artwork over the couch had opened the place up. All that year he'd been struggling to open himself up, not only to Sara, but to everyone around him. He'd felt honored when she'd revealed her past to him. He knew it took a lot of strength of will to survive what she had as a child. He just hoped she still had enough to survive this. If, no, when, when she did he was going to make sure she was never unhappy again. Well, okay so that may be impossible. Sara had a quick temper, and it didn't take much to set her off, and nothing did that quite like injustice. The corners of his lips lifted in a smile as he remembered all the times she'd fight for someone she'd felt had been treated unjustly. He could only hope and pray that she'd fight as hard for herself as she'd done for those countless other victims. 

Grissom looked up as Conrad Ecklie came up to him. "Has the second chopper radioed in from section nine yet?"

Grissom sighed and shook his head. He watched as Conrad squinted into the horizon. Ecklie's concern had surprised him most of all. In the past their relationship had been fairly acrimonious, but he'd been helping out anyway he could since he'd found out about the abduction. "They should be contacting us any minute now. It's almost time for them to refuel."

Ecklie nodded. He looked at Grissom and caught the look of despair in the other man's eyes, along with a hint of incredulity. He knew he'd have to deal with the former later on, now was not the time. The latter however, he could address now. "I know Sidle and I have had our differences, but she's one of our best CSI's. I'm not as cold blooded as people think. I know you thought I was back when Nick was kidnapped. But I couldn't authorize the ransom, it went against company policy. This case is different. No ransom demand will be forthcoming, and I'll see that every available resource is used to find CSI Sidle." Clearing his throat he looked Grissom square in the eye. "Sara is part of the team, and it's my job to protect the team. You can take my word that I'll do just that."

Grissom watched him for long seconds, and then finally nodded. "Okay Conrad. What do you suggest we try next?"

Before Ecklie could answer, the sound of a helicopter reached them. It landed and the two cadets assigned to it got out. They were involved in a conversation, and didn't look up at the other members of the search teams milled around them. They stopped by the refreshment stand that Judy the receptionist had set up to keep the searches from going thirsty or hungry. Grissom shook his head. They should have radioed in before returning, and even if they hadn't, they should've made their way directly to the search map to report back and have their latest sector marked off. Finally the two turned toward the table and came their way, laughing over something. Grissom tried to hold back his irritation as they came forward. People dealt with stress in many ways, and maybe laugher was theirs.

On reaching the table, the younger one, Hutchens, who was quite burley, and sported a beard that would make any mountain man proud, grinned and shook his head. "Nothing in that section."

The other one, lightly older, and with small features, and light blonde hair gave a toothy smile and asked, "Where should we look next?"

Ecklie, eyeing them speculatively, told them to take a break and they'd send another team up on the next run. After they'd left, Grissom looked at Conrad, his hand holding the purple marker hovering over their section. "You know, I don't think it'd hurt to go over that section one more time." Ecklie nodded.

"Do what you think is best. I'll check in with the lab, see if Hodges has those results yet." He turned and left. Staring after him, Grissom balled up his hands. Yes, he'd do what he thought was best. See if anyone could stop him.

* * *

Catherine adjusted herself in her seat, and then gave the pilot the thumbs up sign. She'd taken over from Greg so he could get some rest. He'd been going nonstop since Sara's disappearance, and it had taken quite awhile for them to talk him into resting. Sighing, she looked down at the map of the area they'd be searching. She only wished she'd been able to get Grissom to do the same. It brought sharply to mind the case they'd worked three years earlier. Grissom had worked nonstop, only taking time to eat when she'd made him. In that case, the victim had only borne a resemblance to Sara. She'd had no such luck this time. He'd ignored her every effort to get him to rest, or even eat. 

The chopper swept across the barren desert. Catherine gazed out from her vantage point, her heart stopping every time the sun glinted off something from the ground. She'd never been one for panic attacks, but each time those glints turned out to be nothing, she found herself feeling more and more anxious. To calm herself, she let her mind empty while her eyes continued to scan the landscape. Eventually an image popped into her mind. It was something that has happened several months ago. She'd walked into the locker room and found Grissom and Sara deep in conversation. She'd figured they were discussing a case, being in a hurry to get home, hadn't paid them much attention, but now she wondered if something else had been going on. Shaking her head, she continued to scan the desert. She was working hard at not feeling hurt that her best friend hadn't said something to her. He'd always been reserved, and quite frankly she'd never thought he'd ever have any kind of romantic relationship, except maybe that one time with Lady Heather. A sudden thought had her sucking in her breath, and her cheeks flaming with shame. Just remembering how she'd gone on and on to Sara about Grissom and Heather. It hit her just how many times Sara had tried to change the subject, and she'd just kept dragging it back up. Taking a deep breath she pushed it from her mind. The important thing now was finding Sara.

* * *

Sara opened her eyes and tried to lift herself up a little, but found that she no longer had the strength to move even an inch. After several moments of trying, and ending up only exhausting herself even more, she gave up and sank back down. Sighing, she closed her eyes, and let her mind wonder. It wondered right into one of her favorite memories. She and Grissom had managed to get two consecutive days off together, and they'd thought about taking an overnight trip somewhere, but in the end had decided to stay home, and relax. She'd woken up to find he'd made her breakfast in bed, pancakes with fresh strawberries, and real whipped cream. She'd smiled when she'd seen he'd brought the entire canister of whipped cream, and they'd spent the rest of the day enjoying it, and each other. It had been on that occasion that she'd discovered just how sensitive the back of her knees were. A noise roused her from the pleasant memory. She tried to ignore it, not yet ready to leave the warmth of his arms as he'd wrapped them around her, but as the noise grew louder, she realized that it wasn't something she could ignore. Squinting out into the glare of the sun, she caught sight of a black dot coming closer. She didn't dare take her eyes from it as it came closer.

* * *

Grissom lifted the binoculars and scanned the ground. He refused to give ground to his exhaustion. His arms felt heavy, and his eyes kept blurring, so that when he first caught sight of something red glinting from the ground some way ahead of them, he thought he must be seeing things. He closed his eyes, and opened them again; refocusing on the glint he'd seen. His heart began to pound in earnest. Tapping the pilot on the arm, he pointed to the area to head for, and then reached for the radio. "Grissom to base, Grissom to base, I think I've found her!" His voice trembling, he read out the coordinates. 

Grissom jumped from the chopper before it had set down completely, and ignored the pilot's shouts of caution. Hearing nothing more he ran toward the overturned car, yelling Sara's name. "SARA! SARA!" At first he didn't hear a reply and his heart squeezed in his chest. Then, faintly, he heard the sweetest sound in the world. It came softly, barely audibly, but it came.

"Gil!" Sara called as loudly as her horse voice would let her. "Gil, over here!"

Reaching the car, he threw himself to the ground, reaching for her hand, which was still trapped by the car. He knew her arm must be broken, but he had to touch her. "Sara, Sara baby, talk to me." He peered under the car, trying to see her. Finally their eyes met, and unbidden, tears slid down his cheeks. "It's okay, it's okay, I'm here. Just relax and we'll get you out of there as soon as possible."

From behind him Grissom heard the team arriving, several cars pulled up to the scene, and the second helicopter arrived and landed on the other side of the car. Nick, Warrick, Greg, and Sofia ran up to stand behind Grissom; Catherine jumped out of the chopper and joined them. "Sara, I'm going to stay right here, but I have to talk to the team. Just stay calm and we'll have you out of there before you know it." He smiled encouragingly, and still kneeling, he turned to the team. Brass and Ecklie had joined them, and he cleared his throat before talking. "We need to get a winch out here."

Ecklie spoke up. "That's going to take awhile. Just getting it out here is going to take hours."

Grissom looked at him. "No, it's not going to take hours, because we're not going to wait that long." Lowering his voice he said, "Her arm is broken, and I don't…" He stopped, his voice cracking, " I'm worried about how long the blood flow has been restricted." He turned his head and gazed out into the desert, not daring to think what prolonged loss of blood could do to her arm. "If we have to, we have enough people here to lift it off of her."

A faint voice came from behind him. "Gil?"

Not noticing it, Grissom continued. "Make the call, If it'll take more than fifteen minutes to get it here, then we're going to lift it ourselves."

"Gil!" This time the call came louder and stronger. He jerked around and bent back down.

"Yes, honey?" He asked, anxiously peering under the car.

In a stern voice she said, "Stop bullying everyone. You might want to ask me what I think ought to be done."

Smiling at her temper, he nodded. "Yes dear. What do you think we should do?"

"That's better. First of all, the rain shifted the car, so that though it's still pinning my arm, it's not totally blocking the blood flow. It keeps going to sleep, but I'm able to move it around enough to keep it from staying that way. Hurts like hell when I move it though, which actually gives me hope. Secondly, if you'll look towards the front of the car, you'll find a jack. The rain might have shifted it, but you should be able to fix it, and then you can lift the car back up. Does that sound like a plan to you?" She gave a wane smile, her neck beginning to ache from craning it to look at him.

Nodding, he looked to his left and found the jack she'd mentioned. Shaking his head at his inattention, he motioned for someone to come forward. Nick and Warrick ran up and after a few minutes, the jack was positioned and they began to lift the car into the air. Catherine came up to his other side and leaned down. "Sara? Sara when we get it up high enough, we'll pull you out. Do you understand?"

"Of course I do Catherine, I may be feeling weak, but my minds in perfect working order." Sara replied tartly. With the car higher, her voice carried further, and everyone smiled as Catherine laughed.

"Yes Ma'am." Catherine turned to Nick. "You ready?" He nodded. Grissom leaned down and grabbed her under her right shoulder, and Catherine grabbed her under the left. "On the count of three, one… two… three…" They pulled and the mud made a sucking sound as Sara was pulled from it. Grissom fell back, and Sara landed in his lap. The car made a groaning noise as the jack slipped in the mud, and then the car fell back to the ground, missing them by seconds. Catherine let go of Sara's arm, and sat back, breathing deeply with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Sara looked up at Grissom and smiled. "Thanks for finding me." Then she closed her eyes and slept.

* * *

When she woke up, her arm was in a cast, and she had a large bandage on her head. Reaching up with her good hand, she felt it. She hadn't even known she'd hurt her head. She looked around and discovered Grissom asleep in the chair beside the bed. She watched as he breathed in and out. Looking up, she looked out of the window. It was dark outside, the sky clear. The door opened, and Sara looked over to see a nurse coming in. 

"It's good to see you awake, Ms Sidle. You've been out for quite awhile." She glanced over at Grissom sleeping in the chair. "It's nice to see him finally getting some sleep. We couldn't get him to go home, and your co-workers said he hadn't slept in some time" She smiled and went about taking Sara's vitals.

Sara cleared her throat. "Could you tell me about my arm? How bad is it?"

Shaking her head, she smiled. "The doctor will tell you all you need to know in the morning. Until then, you just get some more rest." She nodded and left the room.

"Your arm is going to be fine." Sara turned her head to find Grissom looking at her from the other side of the bed. He stood up, stretched, and stepped up to the side of the bed. "The doctor said it'd take about a month to heal, so you'll be getting some time off whether you want it or not." He smiled down at her.

She couldn't take her eyes off his face. "Did you… did you find…"

He nodded. "Yes, we got her, but let's not talk about that right now. You need to rest."

Sara gazed into his tired face. "So do you." She smiled and used her good arm to push herself over. "Why don't you slide in here and rest with me."

He hesitated only a moment before slipping in beside her. She smiled and snuggled next to him. "That's better."

He gazed down into her face. "Yes it is." He leaned down and brushed her lips with his. "It's perfect." Sighing, he gently pulled her closer and closed his eyes.

An hour later when Catherine poked her head in to make sure Grissom was resting, she smiled at the sight of them snuggled up on the bed. She smiled and slipped out again, and went to tell the team that everything was going to be okay.

**The End.**


End file.
